H.E Dr. Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, Advisor to the Royal Court Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, opens the largest arena of global food trade and innovation in the Kingdom

RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – 12 May 2025: H.E Dr. Abdullah Abdulaziz Al-Rabeeah, Advisor to the Royal Court Supervisor General of King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, inaugurated the opening of the Saudi Food Show 2025 exhibition today (Monday) at the Riyadh International Convention and Exhibition Centre in Riyadh Front. He was accompanied by His Excellency Eng. Majed bin Rafid Al-Argoubi, CEO of the Saudi Authority for Industrial Cities and Technology Zones (MODON), and distinguished guests as they toured the exhibition.

The Saudi Food Show, organised by KAOUN International and dmg events, and held in strategic partnership with MODON, is running until Wednesday. It has attracted 1,300+ exhibitors from around the world, designed to to accelerate the growth of the F&B industry.

The first day saw the signing of several food industry and logistics contracts worth of investments exceeding SAR 600 million with Kudu and Yousef Abdul Latif Jameel Group among the organisations to put pen to paper, reaffirming the strategic importance to the Kingdom's economy and boost the sector.

In the Saudi Food Summit, His Excellency Eng. Majed bin Rafid Al-Argoubi took to the stage, stating the Saudi Food Show is an important platform for expanding a key sector.  He said the Kingdom's efforts to localise the food industry sector and ensure food security reflect its commitment to contributing to global food security, by empowering research, development, and innovation, and strengthening supply chains - positioning Saudi Arabia as a vital partner and global role model in securing food for the world.

He added the number of food manufacturing facilities within MODON's cities has surpassed 1,400 factories, covering a total area of 12 million square metres, contributing to the creation of over 90,000 job opportunities.

In a special ministerial panel session, H.E. Eng. Khalid bin Mohammed Al-Salem, President of the Royal Commission for Jubail and Yanbu, H.E. Dr. Abdullah bin Abdulaziz Al Rabeeah and H.E. Dr. Hisham bin Saad Aljadhey, CEO of the Saudi Food and Drug Authority (SFDA), discussed the importance of enhancing food safety.

They agree the Kingdom is quickly establishing itself as a food-producing nation with now more than 1,000 food factories being launched – varying from entrepreneurial initiatives to large-scale production with advanced technologies at the heart of food manufacturing while also attracting investment.

Away from the stage, the opening day also attracted several country ambassadors from around the world including New Zealand, Malaysia, and Italy, reflecting their full support in fostering deeper trade relationships with Saudi Arabia.

Charles Kingston, New Zealand's Ambassador to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, emphasised the importance of the Saudi Food Show for both New Zealand and Saudi Arabia, saying: 'New Zealand produces safe, high quality and sustainable food and there is absolutely a huge potential for the country to play a role in Saudi Arabia's future in food security – both through selling our products and also collaborating with the country in the market to fill that gap. The Saudi Food Show gives us an opportunity to showcase the story of our world-class quality to consumers, distributors and importers in Saudi.'

Carlo Baldocci, Ambassador of Italy to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, stressed the Saudi Food Show is a vital opportunity to accelerate the growth of the food industry and strengthen ties with the Kingdom.

He stated: 'There are many initiatives which are taking place including the Saudi Food Show, which will boost the relationships of both countries. We believe this is the beginning of a new start as the food sector is one of the crucial industries and one that will make our collaboration stronger. Italy and Saudi Arabia share many of the same values, having been cooperating for decades and have avenues ahead of them to be very successful.'

Visitors also explored the six exhibition halls and hundreds of thousands of products from different exhibitor brands from around the world, interacting with companies launching new products, while showcasing their culinary expertise and engaging in commercial trade deals.

The Saudi Food Show will run until Wednesday from 2pm – 10pm daily. Tickets to the event are for trade professionals only and available on www.saudifoodshow.com